The service -- initially limited to three communities -- launched Thursday as part of Google Shopping Express, which allows customers to purchase products from certain retailers and have them delivered later that day.

"We're excited that people in San Francisco Bay Area, West L.A. and Manhattan will be able to use Google Shopping Express to get same-day deliveries from Barnes & Noble, joining our existing retail partners like Target, Costco and Staples," Google told The Times in an email.

Google Shopping Express charges $4.99 for a same-day delivery, but there is no per-delivery charge for subscribers to the service. Subscriptions are free for the first six months, but Google has not said how much they will cost after that. Amazon also offers same-day delivery in certain markets. It charges $9.98 per delivery or $5.99 for members of Amazon Prime, which costs $99 annually.

Barnes & Noble is hoping its new partnership will help it spur sales and undercut Amazon, the leader in the book retail business. Barnes & Noble has struggled to compete with Amazon, shutting down several brick-and-mortar stores around the country while also struggling to sell its Nook e-reader tablets.

In a rare demand that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles buy back as many as 193,000 flawed vehicles, the top U.S. traffic safety agency signaled a tougher stance on automakers that don't identify and quickly repair defects.

Industry giant Anthem Inc. reached a $54-billion deal to buy rival Cigna Corp., creating the country's biggest health insurer and triggering concerns about the immense power it could wield with employers and medical providers.